He was the king of comedy, the master of laughter, Mr Charlie, Mr 420: Actor, writer, director, producer, and television host.
Long before that, in 1974, he was a teenaged kid from Karachi who started his career as a stand-up comedian. Those were the times when the public used to listen to such acts on audio cassettes. Yes, this was the legendary Umar Sharif.
Sharif got his ultimate fame as a stage comedian in 1980s with his mega hit stage plays Bakra Qiston Pe and Budha Ghar Pe Hy. Those two blockbuster hits made him a household name not only in Pakistan but also among Urdu speaking audiences worldwide.
That was the era of big-budget Bollywood movies and superstars like Amitabh Bachan reigned supreme. Umar Sharif’s stage dramas gave a successful competition to those Bollywood super hits and videocassettes of his dramas got more business than many Bollywood movies of that time.
Umar Sharif became a comedy brand and success symbol. Ultimately, his comedy magic made its way to the silver screen where flicks like Mr Charlie and Mr 420 provided viewers memorable entertainment and proved a milestone in revival of Pakistan’s dying film industry.
Umar Sharif was blessed with some God gifted talent and was popular for his witty dialogue. He was equally appreciated across the border and was such a popular personality in Indian showbiz world that he always remained important and inevitable participant and performer in top award shows of Bollywood. Many Indian entertainers over the years came to regard Sharif as their mentor.
An illustrious career spanning nearly five decades saw him being widely hailed as Pakistan’s king of comedy. He performed all
around the globe in number of countries and was equally popular everywhere.
He hosted some of the most popular TV shows of its time like The Sharif show.
Umar Sharif had been battling cardiac ailments. Prior to his death, Umer Sharif had appealed to Prime Minister Imran Khan to facilitate his visit to US for further treatment. His appeal came on 9 September 2021.
But could not leave the country for surgery until three weeks later due to hurdles in visa issues, release of finances, and availability of air ambulance. It was on 28 September 2021 when Umar Sharif could finally depart for the US from Pakistan via an air ambulance.
He was scheduled to leave for the United States on 25 September but it was delayed as his health condition deteriorated hours before the scheduled departure and the doctors declared his heart condition critical and not safe for travelling.
Finally, the air ambulance carrying him and his wife Zareen Umar departed from Karachi on 28 September. But it was too late by then. His health deteriorated during a stopover in Germany. He was rushed to a hospital where he succumbed to complications after his blood pressure dropped during a dialysis and he could not survive.
Umar Sharif left suddenly and too early when he was only 61. His fans always had great expectations from him and he always met those.
He won dozens of awards and millions of hearts. He was a living legend and death makes him immortal. His life made everyone laugh and his death left all in tears.
Rest in peace legend, rest in peace Umar Sharif.
